BP bill includes money for immediate projects in Jackson County

JACKSON, Mississippi -- With the Mississippi Legislature finally passing the long-awaited BP bill that will direct 75 percent of the $750 million BP settlement money to the coast, Jackson County will soon see funding for some long-awaited projects.

Sen. Brice Wiggins, who introduced the original BP bills into the Senate, said several Jackson County projects will be funded through the BP money and that the payments BP will make to Mississippi over the next 15 years will continue to benefit the area.

"This is going to mean a lot to Jackson County," Wiggins said. "In terms of infrastructure, there's going to be funding for a number of Jackson County projects that have been in the works for a while."

Among the projects already approved and set to receive funding:

$500,00 for Ocean Springs water and sewer improvements

$500,000 for improvements to the Gautier Town Green

$2 million for the North Rail Corridor

$2 million for the East Bank Access Road in Pascagoula

Once those initial projects are funded -- part of $111 million already earmarked for coast projects -- counties and municipalities will be able to apply each year for project funding through the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund, which will be administered by the Mississippi Development Authority and an appointed advisory committee.

"The easiest way to think of it is it's similar to the Tidelands (funds) process, which is very important to the coast," Wiggins said. "In the Tidelands process, local entities apply through a process set up by the DMR (Department of Marine Resources). The DMR looks at them and makes recommendations to the legislature, particularly the coast delegation, and then those funds are appropriated by the legislature.

"Similarly, MDA will serve that role with regard to the BP funds. Working with the advisory committee, they will look at projects, determine what economic impact they have, and then make recommendations to the legislature for appropriation."

Wiggins noted the recent special legislative session resulted in the passage of both the BP bill and a massive statewide infrastructure bill. The two go hand-in-hand, he said.

"People need to understand this was ultimately an infrastructure special session," Wiggins said. "The projects funded in the BP bill actually went to infrastructure. Sitting in the account was $90 million of the original $150 million paid by BP. About half that was used to fund these infrastructure projects."

Many people still wonder why the coast did receive all of the BP settlement money, given it was the lower counties which suffered the brunt of the damaged caused by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Wiggins understands their sentiment -- and noted four times he filed bills in the Senate to bring all the BP money to the coast -- but said political realities dictated otherwise.

"We have a total of seven senators from the bottom three counties our of 52," Wiggins continued. "We lose every single time. In the House, it's almost 100 to 20. I'm with the people who believe the money should have all come here, but when you're talking about money -- this amount of money -- people tend to want some for themselves. So yes, we had to compromise.

"Someone once said 'you can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.' I think this is a good bill. I'm satisfied with it because I think it does what it needed to do. Look, going forward, we've got $40 million in payments coming over the next 15 years. Every year is an appropriation year, so without this bill, the rest of the state could have outvoted us (for that money) every year."